Can we really expect well-off Mums with a Buy to let, not to make the most of every opportunity to cover the costs of Wii U, holiday camps, football boots and riding lessons? Having made a bit of cash recently – sold a few of my children’s books rather than exploiting my own mother like Higher Flyer – I’m going to blow my profits not on my nearest and dearest, but on a professional development course next week. It just so happens to be in Greece on the beautiful island of Skyros.
The inimitable comedian and writer Arthur Smith is running a comedy workshop there, and I’ve managed to get accepted onto his wit-sharpening week long course (yes, it was a very hard exam: I had to pay).
I’m leaving childcare to husband and a back-up team of six other parents. He really appreciates how much I trust him. I thought after nearly 10 years of parenting, it might be a good idea to take a break. If not for my own sanity, then for the family’s. I had two choices. It wasn’t easy.
CHOICE 1: Lying on a sun-kissed Aegean beach in the afternoon after laughing all morning under a fragrant fig tree
OR
CHOICE 2: Drop-off, write post, shop, pick-up, cook, wash-up, drop-off, write post, blog, pick-up, cook, wash-up, blog, blog, blog, check in to the funny farm (not the Greek one)
Meanwhile – a topical fact that might get overlooked during all the excitement of the Scottish Referendum: The UK without Scotland would be about the same land mass as Greece. Would it change the climate? Well, the mean temperature for England, Wales and Northern Ireland would of course rise substantially without the glacial winters north of the border added to the equation, so it would be warmer on paper if not in reality. Who’d have thought I was a science dunce at school?
LOVE the cartoon Jo….really didn’t see that punchline coming. Thought it would be the kids you would be charging money for rent – mine seem to have more than me! Enjoy your holiday/course – sounds blissful!
Thanks Suzanne, couldn’t comment remotely from Greek hence time delay – just got back from fabulous week sans family in the sun, what’s not to like. Laughing all morning and swimming/sunbathing in afternoon. Arthur Smith very, very funny. How did MADS go? You’re a winner anyway prize or not. Must get back into Twitter mode to find out! Yamas … x
If the UK without Scotland is going to get warmer, does that mean the Scots will freeze? Like all the people north of the wall in Game of Thrones? It’d make for a load of new Christmas tourism, I reckon…
Hey Nell, thanks for considering my pseudo-science so seriously. Afraid am so low brow that have never seen GoT but perhaps if Scotland had gone for ‘Yes’, they could have taken on Santa as a rival Lapland destination as the weather would definitely have got colder and freezier. Especially when the oil runs out.